Master Gardener Brad Aldrich goes beyond the surface as he explains the nitrogen cycle, essential nutrients, photosynthesis, and the critical role of microorganisms in the soil. He will include information on organic vs synthetic macro-nutrients and composting.

Tuesday, March 27, 2 – 3pm

]]>https://wimberleylibrary.org/in-the-garden-understanding-plant-nutrition/feed/0DocNight features “Genetic Roulette”https://wimberleylibrary.org/docnight-features-genetic-roulette/
https://wimberleylibrary.org/docnight-features-genetic-roulette/#respondTue, 13 Mar 2018 08:20:47 +0000https://wimberleylibrary.org/?p=1312When the US government ignored repeated warnings by its own scientists and allowed untested genetically modified (GM) crops into our environment and food supply, it was a gamble of unprecedented proportions. This film provides compelling evidence to help explain the deteriorating health of Americans, especially children, and offers a recipe for protecting ourselves and our future.

April 3, Healthy Potluck at 6:45. Film starts promptly at 7pm.

]]>https://wimberleylibrary.org/docnight-features-genetic-roulette/feed/0Full-speed aheadhttps://wimberleylibrary.org/full-speed-ahead/
https://wimberleylibrary.org/full-speed-ahead/#commentsMon, 12 Feb 2018 16:22:02 +0000https://wimberleylibrary.org/?p=1252We have a good fund-raising effort toward the end of last year as we really got our expansion project under way.

Now, we are stepping things up, and we want to remind you that you’re input is valuable to us as we look at how we might expand the library physically and also in terms of services and products.

Please mark you calendars for an opportunity talk with our architects about the preliminaries. They will be here at 5 p.m. on Feb. 20 to meet with members of the public. I think they will have three or four proposals for us to look at. I haven’t seen any of them yet, and will be among those who line up to see what might be put forward.

No reservations required. Just come and let us in on what you are thinking.

]]>https://wimberleylibrary.org/full-speed-ahead/feed/1Free magazineshttps://wimberleylibrary.org/free-magazines/
https://wimberleylibrary.org/free-magazines/#respondMon, 12 Feb 2018 16:14:34 +0000https://wimberleylibrary.org/?p=1250Starting right now you can use your library card as a passport to take you into the content of dozens of well-known and popular magazines.

The library has subscribed on your behalf to RB Digital magazine news stand, so you can access your favorites from your cell phone or electronic device.

The process is simple: Just go to our catalog page at our website and then enter your log-in information and scroll down to find the RB Digital information. Click on that and follow the simple directions. There is no charge for this new service.

]]>https://wimberleylibrary.org/free-magazines/feed/0Super Heroes reduxhttps://wimberleylibrary.org/super-heroes-redux/
https://wimberleylibrary.org/super-heroes-redux/#respondWed, 07 Feb 2018 15:37:03 +0000https://wimberleylibrary.org/?p=1248They may not be Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman, but comic-book heroes of one sort or another are about to return to the teen book scene in a way that befits their historical stature.

DC Entertainment, which owns those characters, has announced it will be publishing book-length comics in the fall that are graphic and novels in the traditional sense.

That is, they will feature stories fashioned for the 7- to 15-years-old group and written by authors who are already famous for their offerings in the book settings you’d expect to find on shelves today.

One imprint will be DC Zoom and the other will be DC Ink.

What’s interesting about this announcement, made in The New York Times over the weekend, is what it means. It means that a company with a lot of clout and presence in the YA marketplace believes that the market is growing and there is a place for new entries.

So, while we older adults fret over teens being distracted by other media, there’s definitely a good deal of demand for great stories told well.

This notice is posted pursuant to § 551.041 of the Texas Open Meetings Act (TX Gov. Code Ann. Ch. 551)

Call to Order

Public comment

Approval of minutes – February (Carol)

Special Reports

Friends of Library (Tonda)

Treasurer (Sharon)

Staff and Board Reports

Board

Correspondence

Library Director (Carolyn)

Fund raising (Juniper)

Discussion/Action items

YA Librarian status (Carolyn)

Expansion (Bob)

Announcements

April agenda

Adjournment

NOTE: The Board may meet in closed session on any item above as authorized by the TX Open Meetings Act, TX Gov. Code Ann. Ch. 551.

]]>https://wimberleylibrary.org/agenda-wimberley-village-library-district/feed/0Get a griphttps://wimberleylibrary.org/get-a-grip/
https://wimberleylibrary.org/get-a-grip/#respondMon, 05 Feb 2018 16:15:31 +0000https://wimberleylibrary.org/?p=1240Over the weekend the New York Times had several pieces about the kerfuffle developing over social media use by — mainly — kids.

One by Emily Cochrane was the least alarmist. Here is the explanatory paragraph about a call by a professor for people to limit their social media use:

“The challenge through January was issued by Cal Newport, an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University. Mr. Newport, who runs a blog about managing digital productivity, encouraged his thousands of readers to remove every piece of digital interaction that wasn’t critical to their work and lives. At the month’s end, he instructed, slowly add everything back in.”

No report yet on how many were successful.

What’s going on here and in other places around the country is a reassessment of the value of things like Twitter and FaceBook and SnapChat, etc. What value is there in being constantly connected to your friends or strangers in your social circle? Does the value diminish in inverse proportion to the amount of time you spend?

Some of the founders of FaceBook, and other similar networks, are now talking about dangers rather than value.

I know that parents whose opinions I appreciate are ahead of this curve and are taking steps to limit their teenage kids exposure. I’m sure that’s not easy, given the pressure from their kids’ peers.

It’s a fight worth having, though, if the experts are to be believed.

]]>https://wimberleylibrary.org/get-a-grip/feed/0How not to fall behindhttps://wimberleylibrary.org/how-not-to-fall-behind/
Fri, 02 Feb 2018 16:14:01 +0000https://wimberleylibrary.org/?p=1238The promise of educational attainment through Massive Online Only Courses (or MOOCs, as they are called) is proving to be illusive.

You may or may not learn enough in a MOOC to make you more worthwhile to an employer or potential employer, but the chances are very, very good that once you have started a MOOC you will not finish it. There are a number of reasons for that: too little reward for too much time; too many distractions; too much baloney that’s not on point; and doubts about what you will have once you’re done.

People who value education for its own sake as well as for what it will mean to individuals who are competing in today’s world and the world of tomorrow have come up with what they say is a much better alternative: alternative programs that are NOT online only.

Lior Frenkel, writing in the latest issue of Wired magazine, tells, for example, about the efforts of Seth Godin to produce an alt-MBA program. Here is a pertinent paragraph about that:

“The altMBA takes place over the course of one month, during which participants are put through a rigorous curriculum of intensive study and work. Through teamwork, coaching, and tri-weekly online group sessions, each participant has to complete 13 projects in four weeks. The programme emphasises the belief that participants learn most effectively through creating and critiquing one another, rather than by passively attending lectures.”

Now, this sound more right than wrong to me. What do you think?

]]>How, exactly?https://wimberleylibrary.org/how-exactly/
Wed, 31 Jan 2018 16:28:12 +0000https://wimberleylibrary.org/?p=1236The CEO of the world’s largest publisher of books is bullish on the future for his company, which means, of course, he is also bullish on long-form narratives and fiction.

Markus Dohle of Penguin Random House told The Indian express this week that he believes the market will remain strong in the foreseeable future for what his outfit produces, whether the format is digital or traditional print or something else, whatever that might be, which is something I cannot conjure.

A direct quote:

“At PRH, our mission is to create the future of books and long-form reading for generations to come. The market for long form has actually grown over the last decade since the digital transformation began, so we want to continue to do what we do well — discovering and nurturing talent and launching their stories into the world. We are also working to become the most reader-centric publisher. And by that, I mean connecting directly with readers and helping them discover their next best read.”

Now, the question here is how? How will publishers connect directly with readers? So far, they have not been very successful. While the number of bookstores is down, people still buy books — like from Amazon. And libraries are still thriving for the most part. I assume Dohle is thinking about FaceBook, but kids don’t use FaceBook, and, as the old saying goes, kids are our future.

So, I’m somewhat mystified. I can’t wait to see what PRH rolls out.

]]>Think about our futurehttps://wimberleylibrary.org/think-about-our-future/
Mon, 29 Jan 2018 21:55:58 +0000https://wimberleylibrary.org/?p=1234The Board of Trustees of the Wimberley Village Library cordially invites you and your constituents to attend a public planning session to discuss future expansion of the library. The board has contracted with an architectural planner to develop a master plan for the expansion. What are your ideas concerning the development of the library? A public planning session with the architectural planning team and the library board will be at the library on Tuesday, February 20, 2018, 5:00 -7 pm. It’s come-and-go so please come at your convenience.
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